


run from the night (we face each day).

by Chrysomie



Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: Dean gets what he deserves, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-movie AU, alternating pov, discussion of physical and emotional abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-07-25
Packaged: 2019-06-13 04:45:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15356541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chrysomie/pseuds/Chrysomie
Summary: After a fire scare, Michelle takes her kids and calls in a long-overdue favor.  AKA : Two Unwins, a Hart and a Morton plot the demise of a Baker.•••I'm sorry for those that wanted the end of this story soon, I have fallen deep into another fandom (Guardian, a chinese drama, it's soooo good guys) and I don't know when or if I'll ever finish this fic. My thanks to those that have taken time to read and kudo and comment, you warmed my heart <3 •••





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This started as a challenge for myself, to see if I could write 10k in a month. It's probably going to be 5 chapters long, so a bit more than 10k at the end :)  
> It is not beta'd, and English is not my first language so I didn't risk writing accents... If you see any glaring error or want to Brit-pick or whatever, please tell me :)

The pounding headache wakes Eggsy up, and he blames the one – or three, or four- too many pints at the Black Prince last night. Except he stayed home last night, because his mom and Dean got into it again. Something about Daisy not being able to talk yet, being the reason social services are beginning to look too closely for Dean’s taste, how she never smiles at Dean and cries whenever he picks her up, so how can he be sure he’s the father, uh ?  He kept ranting on and on about Daisy, and how he was kind enough to allow Eggsy in the appartment for Michelle’s sake.

Which was so much bullshit, considering the appartment was Michelle’s in the first place. Dean had not taken that particular reminder well, and Eggsy’s ribs will remind him not to mention it the next time, or so Dean said. Eggsy couldn’t see the link between his ribs and his mouth, though, so he was doubtful and told Dean so. Then the gleam of rage in Dean’s eyes, his mum’s shouting, and after that, the memories of the night before get fuzzy, but there’s the taste of blood in his mouth and he has a very educated guess as to where it comes from.

He prods his lips with his tongue and winces at the deep cut on his lower lip. Fuck Dean and his fucking rings.

His headache is relentless. His brain feels dry somehow, as if it’s a sponge that’s been left too long in the sun and every bit of water evaporated long ago.  There’s no noise in the flat, and his phone tells him it’s ten past midnight. Dean must have gone to the Black Prince then, otherwise the tv would be blaring. Hopefully his mum stayed here, it’s always – not better, but like, less worse, when Dean cools off on his own and comes back pretending nothing ever happened.

As Eggsy enters the living room, his eyes and nose do the neural equivalent of ringing all the alarm bells in existence. Smoke fills the space, its scent kind of sweet. It smells a bit like burnt sugar, in fumes swallowing the room whole.

« What the hell ? »

Eggsy spots the source of the fumes at once : Dean always leaves his ashtray on the arm of the sofa, and there’s a curtain just above it. He knows it drives Eggsy crazy.

« Holy shit, » he gapes. There’s a gaping hole in the curtain, a little less than a meter wide, with its edges glowing bright orange and still widening.  Eggsy can see the wall through it. The curtain hasn’t really caught on fire, thank fuck for the sturdy cotton his mum insisted on a few years back, even though they reek of cigarette smoke by now. A distant part of his mind is relieved this curtain is done for. It’s not a fire yet, but the fumes are swooping, all grey and pungent, adding to the already thick atmosphere of the flat.

He checks  the surrounding area to make sure nothing else is burning. So far, only his eyes  and nose are. « Holy shit, » he says again under his breath, as he sees the stacks of dirty fast-food wrapping papers that litter the floor next to the sofa. If those catch on fire, it will all  go to hell really fast – there’s a cheap polyester carpet underneath it all,  so very flammable, taht will burn fast and hot. He has to check on Daisy and his mum, and fast, he knows people often die in fires because they’ve passed out from the fumes, but first he’s got to put out the – it’s not a fire yet, per se, but how do you call a curtain that’s glowing and consuming itself like a cigarette ?

Eggsy can’t take the curtain off without risking embers falling to the sofa and the carpet and the greasy papers, but the kitchenette’s sink is close. And he’s lucky after all, there’s two whole pots filled with water already, left over the night to ‘soak’ because he hates washing them. He takes the bigger one and winces when the weight makes him compensate and his ribs protest, tender from Dean’s anger. Eggsy douses the curtain where it glows bright orange, not caring about the water he spills all over the sofa and the floor. As soon as it’s done, the curtain a mess of burnt edges and and soaking wet, his legs tremble and the pot escapes his grip. Eggsy can’t tell if it makes a noise when it hits the ground, his ears are buzzing and his headache is coming back with a vengeance.

He takes a deep breath, which he remembers too late is a very bad idea considering he’s just put out a minor fire, and coughs and coughs.

« Eggsy, what the hell ? »

Michelle is standing in the doorway of her bedroom, the light spilling behind her forming a halo in her blonde hair, obscuring her face. She looks at the mess in the living-room, at the curtain charred and wet, at the pot on the carpet, with foam still clinging to it. She looks at Eggsy’s face in silence, her expression hidden behind her hair, so still he doesn’t dare blink or breathe, just in case she’s somehow one of those creepy angel statues from Doctor Who. Then she speaks, voice so small he can barely hear her, but with an edge and a  firmness he’s only ever heard from her once, when the posh guy in a suit came to tell them his dad was dead.

« We’re leaving. Get your stuff.»

Eggsy nods once, but Michelle is already back in her bedroom, rummaging around in her drawers. There’s no time to talk, because Dean can come anytime now, it’s like he knows when shit’s about to go down for him.  He goes through the motions, headache forgotten with the urgency of the situation, ven though Dean’s not here. It feels like if they don’t get out of the flat right this minute, they never will.

There’s not so surprinsingly little stuff he wants to take with him. His father’s medal, of course, and his phone. The little cash he has hidden inside his mattress. He’s still wearing yesterday’s clothes, fell asleep in them, not bothering to take them off because of his ribs, he recalls. He grabs his duffel bag from the his time with the Marines, and stuffs it with clothes, cash, his charger. His dad’s medal goes around his neck, hidden beneath his shirt.

« Eggsy, can you get Daisy ? » Michelle calls from her bedroom.  He says goodbye to the walls and goes to is mum.

In there, the scent of badly burned sugar is present but far less so than in the living room. Michelle has changed from her PJs to jeans and a hand-knit pullover he hasn’t seen since he was seven. She’s fighting with her suitcase, the lock gripped from lack of use. Daisy is asleep in her cot, her face relaxed. « Daise, wake up, » he says as he gently shakes her shoulder. « We’ve got to go, sweetheart. » She’s not opening her eyes, but she’s always difficult to wake. Eggsy gathers her up in his arms, hoping to wake her up this way, as usual. She’ll be grumpy, but he can definitely live with that.

She doesn’t stir. He shakes her a bit more, still to no effect. She’s tiny enough he can hold her with one arm, and he uses the other to wrap her head in his sweatshirt, pressing her face into his chest.  He winces a bit at the contact, but he’s more worried about her than the state of his ribs. He recognizes that she’s passed out, probably from the fumes, but he can feel her breathe evenly against his chest. He needs to get her out, to get her away from the smoke.

Michelle seems stricken when she sees that Daisy is not moving in Eggsy’s arms, and Eggsy motions to the door with his head.

« We’ve got to go, mum, we’ve got to get out of here. »

Michelle nods, and exits the flat first. No one’s lurking in the hallway, for once, and Eggsy follows her.

Once they reach the pavement, Eggsy expects his mum to hesitate, but she goes towards the nearest tube station straight away.

« We’re going where he’s not gonna look for us, » shes says, «  and I hope you’ve got your father’s medal, cause we’re gonna need it. »

The street is dimly lit, and Eggsy has to concentrate to make his way through the broken glass and various crap at his feet while holding Daisy. The movement and the fresh air help Daisy come back to herself, and by the time they’re at the station, she’s woken up. She’s coughing a little but seems  otherwise fine, and she even smiles at him when he kisses her head.

Michelle thanks Eggsy and takes Daisy from him. He’s relieved at the loss of her weight, and the loss of pressure on his ribs makes him wince.

The station’s well lit, and he has his first look at his mum’s face since he woke up.

« Shit, mum, what the fuck did he do to you ? »

« It’s the last time, honey, don’t worry, » she says, and he can tell she’s trying to appease him, but why, he’s just going to go back and bash his head in, because no one touches his mum, and that’s final.

« You’re damn right it’s the last time, ‘cause he ain’t living through the night, you hear me ? »

« Eggsy, please, let’s just go, we’re leaving together, okay ? » And she must see something on his face, because she adds the only thing that could make him stay and not go after the bastard. « Daisy needs you. »

And of course, she’s right. Daisy is looking at him like she’s afraid _of him_ , and that douses him better than a cold shower. He takes a step back, clenches and unclenches his fists five times and looks at the bruises on his mother’s face.

« He’s gonna pay, » Eggsy tells her.

« But first, we go away, oaky ? »

He takes her hand and squeezes in answer.

 

Michelle takes her family to Mayfair, of all places. She tells Eggsy in the tube that Dean would never think to look for them there, which is a sound enough idea for Eggsy. Besides, the name Mayfair makes him think of My Fair Lady, and he’s tired and hurt, he’s allowed to take comfort where he can, alright ? Daisy has begun to make her hungry noises on the tube, and Michelle takes them to the McDonalds on Oxford Street, on the grounds that it’s better than walking around in the middle of the night with a child half-asleep and in her pajamas. They order nuggets and fries for Daisy.

They sit at a table next to the wall, allowing Eggsy to have a good view of the restaurant, just in case. Michelle and Eggsy stare at each other, and Michelle holds Eggsy’s hand across the table. She sighs and smiles at him and just like that, a bit of the tension he carried for months leaves him. They are out. That’s good. It feels like they’re breathing again after months underwater.

For the first time in years, Eggsy and Michelle talk.

If they go back, if Dean finds them, Dean will claim that Michelle over-reacted, that there wasn’t even a fire and no one got hurt, and of course he was going to be more careful, please, he’s so sorry, Michelle. And he will, for a while, and Michelle will believe him, for a while. Michelle will be swayed like she is every single time.

« He’s under my skin, Eggsy, I don’t know if I’ll be able to get away again. » Her voice is shaking.

« We won’t let him find us, » Eggsy promises.

As Daisy starts to eat instead of playing with her nuggets, Eggsy takes his father’s medal from under his shirt. Lee had been a Marine, and he died on a mission when Eggsy was six or so.  A man in a suit had come to Michelle’s flat and given her the medal, telling her to call the number engraved if she ever needed a favour. Michelle had refused, saying she only needed Lee back, so the man had given the medal to Eggsy, and Eggsy had kept the medal, worn it everyday under his shirt, feeling like his father could somehow see him if he kept the medal with him. They both remember this day and the words said.

« Can you make the call ? » She’s staring at the medal in Eggsy’s fingers. « I think it’s time. »

He tries to smile at her. «Yeah, I think it is. »

 

He dials and puts his phone on speaker.  A female voice answers right away.

 **«** Customer complaints. How may I help you? »

  
**«** Um…my name’s Eggsy Unwin. Sorry, Gary Unwin. And I’m up shit creek, I’m with my mum and my little sister and we need help. »

 

 **«** I’m sorry, sir. Wrong number. » Shit.

 

« Wait, wait! Oxford’s not Brogue’s? » That’s what the posh man in the suit had told Michelle when he gave her the medal.

 

 **«** Your complaint has been duly noted, and we hope that we’ve not lost you as a loyal customer. »

Dial tone.

 

He looks at his mum, at a loss for words. She stares back, eyes wide at his expression.

Daisy laughs and beams at him. Eggsy smiles, helpless to deny her this small comfort. Gosh, he is so tired. He has let himself hope that something will come out of the phone call in spite of years of life spitting in his face. Of course this wouldn’t be any different. Great. Just perfect.

Michelle gets herself back together first. She takes a nugget from Daisy’s. Then she tells Eggsy about her suitcase. She has been preparing for this for a while, as discreetly as she could. The more Dean’s behavior worsened, the more her suitcase filled. At first it contained some cash, a toothbrush, a spare phone charger and clean underwear, just in case. Then, as Dean’s gaze grew colder and colder when he looked at Eggsy, she added some of Daisy’s  clothes, nappies, snacks, some of her toys, and a change of clothes for them both. By now, the suitcase also contains a bit of cash, enough for a few days on heir own at least.

« I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about it before, honey, » she says softly. « I guess some part of me believed he’ll do better one day, be a better husband. I guess I wanted to believe it as long as I could, and I am so sorry it took me this long to see clearly. »

He only trusts himself enough to nod once, acknoledging her words but not daring to speak. Ih he speaks now, he’ll say things he’ll regret later. She must know that, because she lowers her eyes to the table, hiding them from his, but he can still see how wet and red they are.

They stay silent for a while.

Daisy tugs idly on Eggsy’s sleeve, leaving greasy marks all over it, and he smiles at her. He wonders if it would be better for her to never see Dean again, grow up without knowing her dad.

Eggsy’s eyes snap to the door as it opens, the movement sudden enough in the quiet restaurant to catch his eye and put him on edge. A man wearing a pin-striped suit enters, brolly hooked on his arm, and Eggsy’s a bit shocked to see an obsviously very posh man in a McDonalds. Then he remembers they’re on Oxford Street, and even posh wankers are allowed to crave a BigMac at midnight.

Michelle’s face is still turned away from him, and suddenyl he can’t have that, can’t have his mother ashamed of not being strong enough to leave sooner or afraid of what he’s gonna do, or whatever mess of feelings she’s having right now, so he takes her hand above the table.

« Mum, » he calls softly. « What happens now ? »

 He hopes she’s planned for what comes next. If not, he’s got a half-baked plan of calling his aunt Deb, ask her to come pick Daisy up for a week or so. She knows how wrapped around Dean her sister is, and she won’t ask many questions. With Daisy safe in Cardiff, he and Michelle can focus on disappearing from London, away from Dean’s reach. He is already tired just thinking about all that is to come.

 « Good evening, Michelle, Eggsy. »

Eggsy startles. His eyes travel up and up towards the face of the man that has appeared by their table. It’s the posh man he’s seen entering earlier. This close, he  takes in the black-rimmed glasses, the tailored, pin-striped gray suit, the brolly on his arm. He’s  definitely  on the older side but still well-fit, athletic even.  With his fatigue and the neon bright lights, the man looks half-faded at the edges, and Eggsy stares.

 « May I take a seat ? » The man sports a tight smile, but his eyes are kind. « We have much to discuss. »

 Michelle is too taken aback to do anything, and Eggsy steps in.

« Who are you ? » Eggsy asks.

 « You called for help, didn’t you ? Well, simply put, I am the man who’s going to help you, » says the stranger. His voice is soft and very awake for this time of the night. More awake than Eggsy feels.

« That ain’t an answer,» grumbles Eggsy.

The man smiles, and suddenly Eggsy can focus on his face, the warmth and kindness in his eyes.  

« A little gratitude would be nice. My name is Harry Hart, and I gave you that medal. Your father saved my life. »

Michelle seems to wake at the man’s words.  Her gaze grows cold.

« It’s you, » says Michelle. « I should have known you would be the one to show up. »

Hart holds Michelle’s stare admirably, something Eggsy hasn’t seen many men do.

« I am still profoundly sorry about what happened to Lee, » he says, still holding her gaze. « I promised to help you a long time ago, and I will do everything that’s in my power to do so now. »

After a long, uncomfortable silence, Michelle nods.

Eggsy straghtens a little as Hart takes a seat at their table. Hart looks absurdly graceful sitting on a McDonald’s plastic stool, hair carefuly styled and slightly grey at the temples, cleanly shaved even though it’s way past five o’clock shadow time. His suit isn’t even wrinkled despite the late hour. It’s as though the man has simply walked out of a fashion magazine for posh people and sat in front of Eggsy to continue his photoshoot.

« Tell me about my dad. How’d he save your life ?» Eggsy asks, with a quick glance towards his mum to make sure she’s okay with it. She doesn’t react, and he figures she must want to know, too. After all these years, Lee’s death is not the giant pit of despair and hurt it once was. It’s not the only pit of despair and hurt in Michelle’s life anymore.

« I’m afraid I can’t tell you the details because most of that information is highly classified, but I’ll tell you what I can. The day your father died, I missed something that would have cost the lives of all the men present. He saved not only my life, but the lives of other very brave men as well. »

Eggsy’s eyes never leave Hart’s face as he speaks. As far as he can tell, he seems to be telling the truth, and Eggsy needs him to be telling the truth. A debt like that… It could change Eggsy’s family’s life forever. What remains to be seen is how far Hart feels he owes Michelle for her husband’s death and Eggsy for his father’s.

He fixes Hart with his best serious glare, and Hart takes him so seriously he squares himself as if he’s preparing for a fucking job interview and wants to look his best. He’s about to speak when Michelle beats him to it.

«Listen, I had no idea you was going to show up, specially after fifteen years, but since you did, I guess I can trust you’ll honour the debt you owe me, » says Michelle. « I have no idea whether that’s a good idea, but I need my kids safe, and I need my husband gone. »

There’s steel in her voice, and Eggsy sits back, ready to enjoy the show of Michelle Unwin going in for the kill.

« You killed my first husband. I need you to do the same to my second one. »

« Holy shit, mum, you can’t just say shit like that ! »

«Are you sure ? » Hart asks, like it’s a perfectly valid option, and Eggsy’s pretty sure his eyes are going to explode from the shock. What the fuck.

 «I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life, » Michelle says, and Eggsy’s gonna loose his fucking mind because Hart only nods and takes out his phone, typing away with quick fingers. What the fuck.

« What the fuck, » he says.

Hart looks up and studies him through his glasses.

« Young man, I told your mother many years ago she could ask for anything she needed. I pride myself on being a man of my word, and I would die of shame if I went back on that word now. »

The intensity of Hart’s stare is enough to dry his mouth and wipe his mind of anything he could possibly say in protest. It’s not like he likes Dean, of course not, and he was ready to kill him himself after he saw his mother’s face, but he was red hot with anger, but to hear it now discussed so calmly is another matter entirely.

Hart resumes his typing, smirks at the screen, then puts his phone back in his pocket. Michelle and Eggsy trade looks, and they are both so exhausted they agree to leave whatever needs to be said to the morning.

« Do you know where you’re staying tonight ? » asks Hart.

« We’ll find a hotel, I guess, » starts Michelle. Hart cuts her off.

« Nonsense. If you’ll allow me, I have a guest bedroom that badly needs guests, and I can’t in good conscience see you ou in the night after the ordeal you have been through. Please, it’ll ease my mind to have you three stay with me. »

Eggsy thinks his mum’s going to protest, but she only sighs and smiles tiredly.

« Sounds good, » she says. « What d’you think, honey ? »

Hart looks at him, and his face is so devoid of the pity he expects to find there that he shrugs. He isn’t sure he trusts Hart yet, but he wants to, and his mum kinda already does, so it seems okay for now. It’s still really weird, what with the implicit ‘oh yes I’ll kill a man for you, no big deal’ and the whole gentleman thing, and he’s not allowing himself to think too much about it, because if anyone else had made this kind of promise to him before he would have laughed in their face.

« Alright, then. Let’s go, » says Eggsy, standing up and gathering Daisy’s napkins to wipe her face from most of the greasy mess. She’s barely holding her head up, half-asleep from listening to the grown-ups talk.

« Please, allow me to carry your bags, » says Hart. He looks way too serious about such a simple thing, like if Eggsy doesn’t let him he’ll be locked in this McDonald’s forever, prisoner of his faulty chivalry or something. Michelle nods at him, motioning to her suitcase, and Eggsy holds Daisy up in his arms, her head tucked on the side of his neck, ribs be damned.

Michelle notices his wince, though, and takes Daisy from him. He shoots her a grateful smile, then follows Hart who’s waiting for them by the door, pink suitcase in hand, still fucking gracious and polished.

As they make their way quietly towards Hart’s house, which is very close, Hart assures them, Eggsy comes to his own conclusions about the man’s job. With a shit-eating grin, he turns to Hart.

 « Are you licensed to kill ? »

Hart smirks. « I’m afraid that’s classified. »

 

 

Harry’s glasses ping at one twenty-three. With a sigh, he extends his arm as far as he can, not moving a single muscle that can still be at rest,  reaching for them on the nightstand, not quite there yet.  A second ping makes him move his whole body with what seems to be the hardest effort known to mankind, finally grabbing the glasses. He sinks back into his cushions with a groan before putting them and turning them on.

« Galahad. The Unwins have called their favor in five minutes ago. Do you want to hear the recording ? » asks Merlin.

«Hello to you too, » says Harry. Then Merlin’s words register and he sits up straighter. Unwin… It’s a name he has not heard in a long time. It has been, what, fifteen years ? Twenty ? since Lee died. He’ll check the Unwin file later. He hates to admit, but times and dates that go farther than ten years ago are starting to blur. He is the oldest knight still active, after all. Countless concussions have taken their toll.

He remembers Michelle, how she was so lost in her grief and rage she refused to take the medal, and little Gary— _Eggsy,_ as the little boy told him, but by now he is a young man, so it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to hear the voice of one and not that of a little boy confused by the absence of his father and by his mother’s grief.  The recorded conversation is brief, but Harry is pleased to hear that the boy has not forgotten his words. Of course, he would have been notified that Eggsy had called in his favor even if he had forgotten the words. And there is a little sister now. Was Lee’s wife pregnant when Lee died ? If so, Lee might not have known.

« He called from the McDonald’s on Oxford Street, » says Merlin. « I’ve got him on visual, I’m patching you in.»

« Thank you, » says Harry. Merlin gasps at this out-of-character politeness, and Harry smirks.

« Fuck off. »

« Yeah, that’s more like it. »

The security camera in the McDonald’s shows the Unwin family at a table near the back. The grainy image lets him see a young man in a dark sweatshirt, looking at this phone like it betrayed him. Of Michelle, he sees only the blonde hair, and next to her he can make out a tiny head full of fair hair. Even with the grainy and grey image, Harry can tell the young man is quite tired. He keeps glancing at the door, like he’s expecting someone to come in at any moment.  The child – Eggsy’s sister -  makes grabby hands at something the phone, and Eggsy Unwin smiles.

« I’m going, » says Harry.

« I know, » says Merlin.

 

Deciding to bring the Unwins home has been surprisingly easy. At first, he had planned to get them to a discreet Kingsman-approved hotel where they could hide for as long as it took him to sort whatever favor they needed. It would have taken two or three days at most, and been dealt with the way Harry dealt with most things : in the most efficient way possible that also allowed him to show off a little.

And then he had seen Eggsy in the flesh. No grainy footage from CCTV will ever do justice to those cheekbones, to the myriad of shades of blue and green and his eyes shine with, to the adoring but worried way he looks at Daisy, to the fierce protectiveness he shows towards his family. It has been a very, very long and very lonely time since Harry has been charmed so thouroughly by someone and, even if some evidence points to the contrary, he is only human. A human with a type, one that Merlin is very aware of. He can almost feel his bank account dwindling from the exhorbitant amount of money he’ll need to spend on fine whiskey to bribe his best friend into silence.

And of course, it seemed only natural that the deb the owed Michelle extended to a stay in his home, where Michelle’s family will be safe. So what if it also serves the purpose of spending more time with the young man while he has a reasonable reason to ? Once the favor is done, this Dean out of the picture and Daisy, Michelle and Eggsy safe, Eggsy will go back to his normal life and never cross paths with Harry again. He might as well indulge a bit while he can.

Thankfully, Merlin has been silent since they left the McDonalds. Harry knows better than to think he’s not following the situation, though. Knowing Merlin, he’s taking notes on Harry’s heart rate whenever Eggsy looks at him.

So here they are. The Unwins waiting on the steps leading to Harry’s front door while Harry searches for his keys.

« Welcome to my house, » says Harry. He uses the time the Unwins take to step inside to take his earpiece out discreetly, putting it in the pocket of his trousers. He keeps the glasses on, though, just in case something happens and he needs to review the footage later. It’s purely professional.

« I suggest we leave the tour of the house for the morning and jump directly to the guest bedroom and bathroom,» says Harry. « There’s a king-size bed in the spare bedroom for Michelle and Daisy, but I’m afraid Eggsy will have to sleep on the sofa. » He smiles at the boy. « Don’t worry, friends assure me it’s quite comfortable. »

« That’s okay, » says Eggsy.

Daisy yawns, and Eggsy follows suit even though he tries to hide it, which results in a truly adorable grimace. Harry tries his best not to smile, but Eggsy must have picked on something in Harry’s face because he lowers his gaze and makes a face at the floor.  Harry gives up and smiles, and Eggsy shrugs, apparently deciding he doesn’t care if Harry mocks him for yawning.

« This way, » motions Harry. He leads them upstairs to his guest bedroom. It’s big enough for a king-size bed, a desk and a monstruous wardrobe that is at least as old as the house and that remains in the room mostly by virtue of being both too heavy to move and too big to fit through the door.  Michelle settles Daisy gently on the bed, and Harry leaves Michelle’s suitcase in front of the wardrobe. She thanks him, and starts sorting through it to find Daisy’s PJs.

Harry motions for Eggsy to follow him, and shows him the bathroom two doors down.

 « Guest toiletries are in the cabinet under the sink, spare towels by the bathtub. Feel free to use anything you need. » He tries to think of something more to say, something other than mere facts about where the spare toothbrushes are. Nothing comes to mind, but he is relying on the fact that it is quite late and that his lack of volubility will be perceived as willingness to let them sleep sooner. Eggsy takes the bathroom in, from the giant clawed bathtub to the antique mirror above the sink.

 « Shit, bruv, my whole bedroom can fit in here, » says Eggsy.

« Please don’t call me « bruv », » shudders Harry. He gently takes Eggsy’s elbow to guide him back to the guest bedroom.

« That’s the least offensive I can call you, » says Eggsy.

« My name doesn’t offend me, » and Harry waits for Eggsy’s response.

« You want me to go around all day calling you Mr Hart ? » asks Eggsy, voice low now that they have reached the bedroom where Michelle is putting Daisy to sleep.

« You can call me Harry, » and Eggsy eyes light up at that. Harry’s breath catches on nothing. How peculiar.

« Thank you for letting us stay, Harry, » says Eggsy, and somehow the room’s air seem to grow thicker. Harry thanks all of his years as a spy for the way he’s able restrain the heat on his cheeks.

« Let’s set the sofa up for you, then, » he says, and Eggsy follows him. Harry grabs a sheet and a blanket from the room’s wardrobe. Michelle stands up and truns to face them. He stiffens suddenly, stricken by the purple hues on her face, then speaks very softly.

« Michelle, Eggsy, I have to apologise profoundly. I am so used to see people injured in my line of work, I forgot for a moment you are civilians and not used to it the way I am. I should have paid more attention to your injuries since before we entered the house. I am sorry to be such a poor host when you need utmost care. »

He sees Eggsy and Michelle sharing a look, and this is it, they will leave before they even really stay with him. What a knight in shining armor he makes.

« We just need some ice-packs, bruv, chill, » says Eggsy.

« I need an ice-pack for my eye, » says Michelle, « but you need every bag of frozen peas Mr Hart has in his freezer for your whole face, luv. »

Harry relaxes a fraction, because if they’re joking about it surely they don’t hold it againt him ? Eggsy snorts with laughter, but immediately pales and turns away from his mother. Michelle doesn’t see and shoos them out of the room, telling them to get on with it.

 

Eggsy’s bringing his mother one the Kingsman issued ice-packs while Harry sets up the sofa with blankets and pillows. The boy truly has a remarkable constitution, walking around with ribs that are probably bruised, if not sprained or fractured. Harry has seen Eggsy wince through the motions for the two hours he’s known him, noticing how he was trying to hide his pain from his mother, going so far as carrying Daisy. He didn’t understand why he was hiding this from Michelle, though. She obviously already knows about Dean hitting him in the face, why would it matter that Dean hit him somewhere else too ?

Light footsteps on the stairs announce Eggsy’s return to the living room. Ice-packs of various sizes are set up on the coffee table. Harry motions to them. « Help yourself, » he says, « they should last the night. »

When Eggsy only takes two –one for his lip, one for his eye- , Harry tssks. « One for your ribs, too. »

Eggsy stares at him. « Right. Spy. Of course you noticed. » He grabs a third pack.

« Why do you hide it from Michelle ? »

« Not really your problem, Harry, is it ? »

« I’m sorry, I didn’t want to intrude. I merely wonder, since she already knows your stepfather is a violent man. »

His only response is a stubborn silence from Eggsy. Divert the target, he thinks automatically, and recoils at the idea of treating Eggsy like a target on a mission.

« Would you let me take a look ? I have extensive training in field injuries, but alas I rarely leave my target in a position to receive said help, so I’m afraid I’m getting a little rusty. »

Eggsy hesitates for a whole two seconds before sitting on the newly set sofa. « Alright, » he mutters, as if he’s doing Harry a huge favor. Harry hides the fond smile that threatens to break out at this childish display.

« Are you particularly fond of this - » the pause he makes tells everything he thinks about Eggsy’s clothing preferences, « - outfit ? »

At Eggsy’s raised brows, he adds, « If it hurts too much to lift it off your shoulders, I will have to cut it out if I’m to examine your ribs. »

« That’s a bit extreme, isn’t it ? Can’t you just, like, lift it up a bit and go with your hands underneath ? »

«It would be easier if I could see the damage, but I suppose I can do without, yes. Tell me when it hurts. »

« When, not if ? » Eggsy asks. Harry slides his hand underneath the sweatshirt, finding the soft skin of Eggsy’s stomach and inching his way up. «  Ouch, okay, yes, it hurts, you bastard ! »

« My apologies. » Harry relocates his hands, gently probing Eggsy’s ribcage. There’s definite swelling and when he probes harder along the fifth rib, he can make out the spot where the bone line is uneven. By the way Eggsy’s breath comes short, he’s pretty sure he’s found the sprain.

 « Only a sprain, » he tells Eggsy. « It will need a good bandage but it should heal nicely. »

« I’ve had worse, » mutters Eggsy. Harry doesn’t doubt it.

Harry fetches the Kingsman pain-reliever gel he keeps on an ornate golden box on the bookshelf. He has some in every room of the house, both because he uses it fairly often after a mission and because he’s a lazy git at heart and doesn’t want to wander to the bathroom every time he needs it. Eggsy eyes the white tube with the monogrammed black K with suspicion.

« This, my dear boy, is an incredibly potent pain-killer. This gel contains various substances known for reducing pain levels, with their effectiveness upped to ninety percent. It soothes any ache immediately. »

« Then why didn’t you give it to my mum first ? » Eggsy asks. « She’s got a nasty black-eye, you saw it. »

 Which, fair point. For a man that prides himself on being a gentleman, Harry sure missed his mark there. He frowns as he realizes he has put Michelle on the back burner of his mind as soon as he was alone with her son.

The top right corner of his glasses flashes briefly before a single word appears : **lol**.

God. Merlin’s using text-speak. He’s never going to hear to end of it, he’s doomed. Thank god he removed his ear-piece.

**tell him u want to rub gel on his rockin bod**

‘ _I hate you’_ Harry types his finger on his knee in Morse code, looking down on it to make sure Merlin sees.

« I’ve got a feeling you’re not talking to me, br- Harry. » Eggsy looks pointedly at Harry’s hand, then at Harry’s face.

**hahaha**

Harry closes his eyes and counts to ten in Spanish. Then he takes off his glasses, puts them face down on the coffee table and turns back to Eggsy.

« You’re right, I wasn’t talking to you, but I’m impressed you noticed it altogether. Rest assured, no one else is in the house right now. »

He tries to convey with his stare that it’s better for Eggsy not to ask further questions on the subject, and bless the boy, he seems to get the idea. However, Eggsy points to the gel, clearly waiting for an explanation.

« The gel isn’t suitable for the face, so I didn’t mention it earlier. It is fine for the torso area, arms and legs, but not hands, feets or private parts. Something about capillaries not reacting well with our one component, I think. I admit I wasn’t paying much attention past the « numb your fractured radius » point when it was explained to me. »

Behind the sofa, behind Eggsy but clearly visible from Harry’s position, stands a mirror. Or rather, a Kingsman mirror that doubles as a back-up monitor, a relic from the time handlers lived with their agent and coordinated missions from home. The mirror turns black and once Harry’s focus is on it, the words **lol liar** appear. A second later, the mirror is back to normal.

Harry counts to ten in German, then gives the damned gel to Eggsy. « Wash your hands after you use it, it’s really not recommended to have it on one’s hands. »

«Yeah, okay. Thanks. » Eggsy says softly. « I should go to bed. »

« We all should, » Harry agrees. He wonders if he can sound any more formal and stuck-up.  « Good night, Eggsy, » and yes, yes he can. At least formal and stuck-up sound better than desperately eager.

 « Good night, Harry, » replies Eggsy with a small smile.  « I’ll see you in the morning, yeah ? » And oh, Harry wants to frame the look on Eggsy’s face, that quiet confidence that things will be looking up for him thanks to Harry and he can’t quite believe it yet.

Harry doesn’t trust his voice right now, so he keeps it short.

 « Whatever you need, dear boy, »  he says before disappearing upstairs into his own bedroom.


	2. Chapter 2

Eggsy’s staring at the ceiling, his breathing the only noise in the quiet room. It’s defintely early, and going by the grey light filtering through the curtains he guesses it’s around seven. Daisy’s not going to wake for a while yet, but his mum might be already up. He knows he won’t fall back asleep. Too many thoughts are swirling in his head : he doesn’t know what should take priority. Everything is messed up and looking up at once. He feels like he’s hanging off a cliff, but he doesn’t know if the fall ahead is his past or his future.

First, there’s Dean. He hates him for what he’s done to Michelle and to Daisy, to the two most important people in his life. He hates Dean for what he’s done to him, even if those things are better kept hidden in the past where they belong and can’t touch him anymore. He terrorized Daisy with his cruel laughter at her frightened silence and her wide eyes, and now he has hit Michelle on the face hard enough to bruise. It’s the first time he’s hit her on the face. Eggsy’s pretty sure Dean did to her the same thing he did with him : hit where the bruise won’t be seen. Eggsy has hidden bruises and cuts for more than five years, Michelle might have done the same, both trying not to worry the other. In any case, it’s been worse since Daisy was born, that’s for sure, and he hates to think like that because it sounds like it’s Daisy’s fault and it’s not, dammit, it’s not.

Then there’s Michelle. He still can’t believe how she flat-out asked Harry to kill Dean. His mum’s a fucking legend.  He’s not sure she still means it now, though. She’s strong, he knows that, but living with the guilt of getting her daughter’s father killed, even if the man deserves it, might be too much for her. He could be wrong, though. It’s not as if they ever talked about this in depth before. They had never made plans that didn’t somehow Dean, always trying to predict what could set him off and what they could get away with.

And to top it all off is the matter of Harry. Harry who was so tense last night while he examined Eggsy’s ribs, as if too much contact might shatter him to the core. Harry who brought them all to his home even though he reeks of classified secrets. There’s also the whole matter about his dad saving him, which truth be told helps a great deal with trusting him. Not to mention that he was fucking fit and gentleman-like, clearly posh but still treating Eggsy as his equal. And he did tell Eggsy to feel free to use anything he needs, something Eggsy doesn’t need telling twice. Also, he has to pee.

The house is quiet, his steps are muffled by the thick carpet the didn’t take notice of the night before.  He uses the bathroom, whistling at the quality of the loo roll. He low-key wants to steal some, but figures he might as well wait until Hart – _Harry,_ he corrects, does something that pisses him off enough to deserve this level of pettiness.

He goes to the guest bedroom to check on Daisy and Michelle, and they are both still asleep, curled up together and sharing a giant pillow. After everything, they are exhausted and deserve to rest. He considers going back to his sofa and dick around on his phone until they wake, but he hears some noise from the kitchen and the sudden urge to get some tea inside him is strong.

The stairs creak when he makes his way downstairs and Harry must have the ears of a bat because he announces loudly enough for Eggsy to hear, « The kitchen’s on your right. »

« Good morning, » says Harry as Eggsy enters the kitchen. He’s wearing a red bathrobe, neatly tied around his middle, and is busying himself with the kettle.

« Hi, » replies Eggsy. He hovers by the table, taking the old-fashioned décor in. There’s a impressive collection of cooking knives above the stove, and he’s dying to feel the balance on some of them.

« A fan of knives ? » smirks Harry. « You can take a closer look if you want. »

Eggsy grins and takes the one that looks the most like his old training one. He raises his arm behind his ear, chooses the salt on the spice rack as a target and goes through the familiar motion of throwing the knife at a slow speed. He likes how balanced this knife feels, how easily it would find his target if he threw it for real.

When he looks back at Harry, he finds the man already looking at him with an expression on his face he can’t place. It’s fucking intense, and he kinda worries about heart attacks. He can’t remember anyone ever looking at him like that. Appreciation, maybe ? The expression only lasts a few second, though, and is quickly swiped away under a small smile and a quirked eyebrow. Eggsy shrugs, and hopes his cheeks aren’t as red as they feel, because what the fuck. It’s not like he wants to show-off for Harry, now, is it ? He puts the knife back.

« Tea or coffee ? » asks Harry.

« Tea’s fine, » replies Eggsy.

« Are you hungry ? I can offer some sort of traditional English breakfast. » He motions towards the kitchen table where scones, butter, honey as well as bacon and eggs are set. « There’s also Cheerios, I think. My niece is rather fond of them and makes sure my cupboard is well-stocked every time she visits. » Harry smiles at the mention of his niece, a small smile that hints at something more, something private he won’t tell Eggsy yet. Judging by the choice of cereal Eggsy guesses she’s like, ten.

« Nah, I’m fine, » replies Eggsy. « Never really hungry in the morning, » he adds, not mentioning that that’s because they’ve never got anything at the flat whenever Dean and his friends get high and ravenous in the middle of the night, which happens every other day.

« Well, then, there’s sugar in the cupboard at your left and milk in the fridge, if you would be so kind, » says Harry.

Eggsy gets the hint, and wow, Harry wasn’t kidding when he said he was well-stocked in Cheerios. There’s five boxes of the stuff.

« Does your niece eat a whole box at every meal or what ? »

« She’s got a fast metabolism and she works out a lot, » Harry says, and there’s the secret smile again. « I think you’d like her, but a big part of me is very afraid of all the trouble you two could get up to if you ever meet, » he adds.

« My specialty is getting out of trouble, thank you very much, » grins Eggsy.

Harry grins back. « I don’t doubt that. »

For a moment, the reason they’re here seems forgotten. It should be strange how comfortable they are with each other, Eggsy thinks, except it’s not. It feels like they’ve known each other for years.

Michelle appears in the kitchen, hair a mess from sleeping on it, her bruised face less swollen than last night. She waves tiredly in greeting before taking a seat at the kitchen table.

« I heard voices, » she says, « figured I might as well stop pretending to sleep. » She winks at Eggsy with her good eye. « Hullo, love. » He goes to kiss her forehead in reply, careful and tender. « Hi, mum. » She vaguely nods in Harry’s direction and sits at the table.

« Good morning, Michelle, » says Harry. Eggsy half-expects some jibe about politeness from him, but it never comes. Uh.

She’s already helping herself to a cup of tea and a scone, at ease as if it were her own house. It’s a stark contrast to all the times she told him to be polite when he was a guest somewhere since he was like, four. He catches Harry’s eyes and for some reason, the man seems amused and contrite at once, and Eggsy kind of gets it. Harry got Lee killed, so Michelle can do whatever she pleases in his house and he’ll always let her. Simple, really.

After breakfast, they all agree to get ready for the day before talking about the favour Michelle asked for. It seems too heavy to talk about in nothing but PJs and bathrobes. As Michelle disappears upstairs, Eggsy stays in the kitchen to help Harry get everything away and clean up. The anesthesic gel worked wonderfully last night, but he knows he still need to get his ribs bandaged and he can’t do it properly alone. He would have asked last night except he was caught on being cared for and forgot. Then he had used the gel and the pain had lifted immediately. Without the haze of pulsating pain, his exhaustion had crept up on him with the discretion of a ton of bricks and he had fallen asleep the second he was horizontal.

« Hey, Harry, would you help me with my ribs again ? » Eggsy asks.

« Of course, » replies Harry. « If your mother is using the guest bathroom, you can use mine. It’s an en-suite in my bedroom. I’ll do your bandage right after. »

« You sure you don’t mind me using your bathroom ? »

« I wouldn’t have told you to if I minded, » smiles Harry. « Besides, I have to finish cleaning up here. »

Eggsy smiles in return. « Okay. I’ll be right back. » He stops by the living room to grab clean clothes and his toothbrush from his duffel bag before going upstairs.

On the landing, he hears the shower from the guest bathroom and blesses his mum. Harry told him to use his bathroom, so he’s basically allowed to snoop around, right ? The master bedroom is right in front of the staircase, its door open wide. He takes in the blue and brown tones of the furniture, the gigantic bed that’s perfectly made, as if Harry never slept in it all, the soft light filtering through the curtains. The walls are bare and painted  deep blue. Apart from the furniture, the room is devoid of any personal touch, like he’s stepped into a high star hotel. So much from snooping around, then.

The bathroom is slighty smaller than the guest one, but it makes up for it with one of those fancy enormous showers where the water comes from like eight spots on the wall at once. Eggsy can work with that.

His ribs don’t hurt when he undresses, thanks to Harry’s gel, but he knows from experience it doesn’t mean the damage’s gone so he’s still very careful with how he lifts his arms to get out of his clothes. He steps into the shower stall and. There’s someone there. He nearly jumps out of his skin before he realizes he’s staring at himself, eyes wide and a hand over his heart like a fucking heroine about to faint.

« Fuck me, » he says, disbelieving. Who puts a full-length mirror in the shower ? Harry fucking Hart, that’s who. Why would he even need a mirror in the shower for ? 

Before turning to work out the multiple showerheads, he studies his reflection. HIs left side is fucked up, bruises so purple they almost seem black. His split lip is crusted with dried blood, and his eye is not quite open all the way back to normal, the bruises around it match the ones on his side. His eyes glaze over the rest of his body, barely interested, more like a check-up to see if everything’s still there, if there’s some new injury he should be aware of.

He’s used to wanking in the shower most mornings, but the mirror throws him off even when he turns his back to it. There’s something about the concept of seeing himself that’s unsettling. He’s not sure he’d like seeing himself in full display like that, all vulnerable, soft and empty-headed after release.

He hurries through the shower, dries himself and puts on his clothes quickly but not bothering with the shirt yet. Instead, he goes to find Harry, which he does as soon as he steps out of the bathroom.

Harry’s waiting for him in the bedroom, packages of bandages and the tube of pain-killer gel neatly sitting on the bed.

« Ah, Eggsy, perfect timing. » Harry smiles warmly at him and motions to the bed. Eggsy sits.

Harry’s eyes assess Eggsy’s torso quickly. Eggsy would feel self-conscious except Harry’s gaze is so neutral and distant, like he does this every day and finds little appreciation for the human body in general, and not that much for this one in particular. Harry puts a little bit of gel in his hands, and smears it gently on the bruises, his eyes still clinical and focused. Then he opens one of the packages and takes out a roll of gauze-like fabric.

Eggsy stares at the efficient way Harry’s fingers move. Shouldn’t they be slippery from the gel ? He pins the end on the unblemished side of Eggsy’s ribcage with one hand and sets to wrapping Eggsy up with upmost care. It doesn’t even tickle. Eggsy looks up and Harry’s face is very close to his. He can count the wrinkles at the corner of his eyes and lips, the softness of his clean-shaved jaw, the few grey hairs in his fair eyebrows. His breath catches on Harry’s scent, the soap he used himself in Harry’s shower, and it feels so intimate that Eggsy closes his eyes and stops breathing, just for a second.

« All done, » says Harry, and it feels so close he keeps his eyes shut, because if he opens his eyes and Harry is there he doesn’t know what he’s going to do and he’s afraid he knows exactly what he wants to do.

When he opens his eyes again, one or two or twelve heartbeats later, Harry is standing out of reach and Eggsy is not disappointed, because that would mean he was expecting something, and he was not. Is not.

« We’ll wait for you downstairs. Join us when you’re ready, » says Harry before disappearing.

Eggsy exhales.

 

Harry, Michelle and Daisy are sitting in the living-room when Eggsy joins them. Harry’s left the sofa, now devoid of blankets, to the ladies and he’s waiting on one of the big leather armchairs, next to Daisy’s end. They are all holding a mug of tea ; Daisy even has her own baby-tea in her bottle, warm milk with just enough tea to color it a little, as per Michelle’s instruction. There’s a steaming mug waiting for Eggsy on the coffee table in front of the other armchair, close to Michelle and in front of Harry.

Harry’s gaze follows Eggsy’s movement from above his cup. He blows softly on the steam, wishing the Kingsman glasses could fog up. His attention is so attuned to the young man, a little fog could help him focus on the matter at hand and not on the memory of Eggsy’s flushed cheeks, his eyes closed and bruised, and parted mouth, sitting half-naked on his bed. Looking at Michelle helps.

Harry clears his throat. « Well, let’s talk business. Yesterday you asked me to kill Dean. » His eyes don’t leave Michelle’s face. « Do you still stand by that wish today ? »

Michelle sips at her tea, glancing quickly at Eggsy, then at Daisy. She smiles tiredly at Harry, and he knows that smile and this look in her eyes, knows what she’s going to say next.

« No, » Michelle says.

Harry opens his mouth to reply but she beats him to it.

« I want to make him pay. Killing him will not make his life hell, i twill just make him dead. I want him to suffer, but I can’t do it alone. » She stares at Harry like she’s daring him to protest.

Harry sets his teacup back on the table and turns all his attention to Michelle. He understands what she wants him to do : give her an out from her life with Dean, with a satisfying bonus of avenging all the hurt he’s put her and her family through. They hold each other’s gaze gravely, a current of understanding passing between them.

He can tell Eggsy and Daisy are feeling the tension in the room as well, even though he barely sees them from the corner of his eye. Eggsy doesn’t dare move, and Daisy looks like she’s holding her breath, her eyes wide.

« I can help with that. » Harry says it more for Eggsy’s benefit than Michelle’s, and makes sure his meaning comes across with a glance to the boy. Eggsy’s face is a blank page, his emotions hidden beneath the surface. Harry turns back to Michelle.

« Can you tell me more about Dean ? »

Michelle looks at Eggsy and, after a beat, he reaches for her hand and nods. She takes a deep breath and starts to talk, eyes unfocused and far away.

She tells him about the early days. She tells him about the way people pitied her, the poor widow with a child, whom her dates ran away from when they knew she had a kid. Until Dean. She speaks about the times when she had to work and he took Eggsy to see football games, the times when he helped with the eight-years-old homework while she was making dinner, the time she slipped at work and broke her wrist and he took her to the hospital then picked Eggsy up from school and took him to see his mother.

She tells him how all that disappeared a short while after he moved in with them, when he  found out Lee’s pictures in Eggsy’s room, still proudly displayed four years after his death. How he broke every frame he managed to pry from Eggsy’ grip, leaving faint scars that Eggsy shows on his palms when Harry’s eyes turn to him, without a word.

She tells him how he started neglecting Eggsy then. Ignoring his demands for help with his homework. Lashing out at every noise Eggsy made, first in the mornings, then whenever he found Eggsy’s presence unbearable. Calling him « Muggsy ». Finding neverending reasons not to allow any of Eggsy’s friends over, thus reducing the already few to only Jamal and Ryan. Making him quit gymnastics even though coach Forgues said he was Olympics material.

She tells him about the day she found out she was pregnant, and Eggsy was in the Marines. How Dean had smiled and smiled and smiled, telling her that now she could never leave, and how he convinced her he was right. She tells him how she had tried to leave Eggsy out of it, tried not to drag him into this mess again, but then Dean made a bet with Puddle about the day Eggsy would die, with any luck the same day as his dad, wouldn’t that serve him fucking right, and she couldn’t help herself and called.  

She tells him how after Daisy was born he joked, except it wasn’t a joke at all, about having to sell the mom to his friends to feed the daughter when money was tight, and how Eggsy took her place.

Finally, she tells him about last night, how the fire alarm didn’t work except she makes sure there’s always working batteries in it because the flat is so old, so Dean must have taken them out ; how last night he hit Eggsy in front of her, and once Eggsy was cold out, threatened to do the same to Michelle and more, and make Daisy watch. How he sucker-punched her when she spat at him, saying she’s had enough, and how she woke up on the floor of her room to the smell of smoke. How she decided this was the last straw, took her kids and ran.

As she talks, Harry grows colder and colder. His vision narrows to Michelle’s face, drowning out every other sound. He wants to take Dean’s life for daring to make Eggsy’s so miserable. He wants to shoot himself in the face for not keeping a closer watch on the Unwins all these years. It’s his fault all of this has happened. Now he has to make it right.

Sometime before Michelle started talking about when she got pregnant, Eggsy had taken Daisy upstairs. He hasn’t reappeared since, and  Harry realizes it’s because he knew what she was going to say and either didn’t want Daisy to hear, or didn’t want to relive it through Michelle’s words. He knows that in situations of abuse like these, the victims often blame themselves. It’s entirely possible Eggsy feels shame at what happened to him, and Harry deeply, viscerally wants to propel Dean towards a cruel fate he so deserves. He’s already picturing the set of knives he’s going to use, the ivory set he got from that time in Guinea will do very nicely, he’s sure.

When Michelle stops talking, she drains all of her long since cold cup of tea before bracing herself and turning to face Harry. Her eyes are red but determined, not sorry for dumping all of this on Harry but rather expecting him to share its weight with her, making it more bearable. He thinks this is the first time she’s been able to talk about it all to someone who can really listen.

Harry decides the time for the cold façade of the gentleman is gone now. He sits next to her and, very gently, as though she might break even though she’s one of the strongest civilians he knows, takes her hands in his and holds on tight. She lowers her gaze to their entwined hands.

« Michelle, » says Harry as softly as he can, « you have lived through an impossibly difficult situation, but listen to me. You have lived through it. You survived. I am so, so deeply sorry I wasn’t there to help you out of it sooner.  I should have paid my debt to your family years ago instead of letting your grief and anger push me away. For the pain I have caused you, I swear on my life I’ll do anything you might want me to, everything in my power, to help you and your family. »

As he says them, he knows those words to be true. Michelle must believe them too because she grips his hands even tighter and finally lets go of the tears she hasn’t let herself shed in years. Her pain and relief shake her shoulders with quiet sobs, and Harry gently lifts one of his hands to guide her into his shoulder, her hair draped around her, hiding her from the world.

When he raises his head to rest against hers, she doesn’t say a word.

 

When his mum took his hand, it was her way to ask him to trust her and to let him know she was going to tell Harry at once, Eggsy realizes. They never talk about these things, and this is the first time Michelle’s put it in words in front of Eggsy. He barely remembers the times when Dean pretented to try and be nice to Eggsy to win Michelle over, but hearing about them from Michelle’s point of view spins his head around. It shines sense onto why Michelle let Dean into their lives, seeing only the good that Dean showed off, and remembering it when Dean started the manipulation and lies. Holding onto it, even.

He’s glad he left when he did, before she talked about when it all really went to shit, knowing all too well the sad story she was going to tell, knowing how he’ll be a little helpless victim in Harry’s eyes now. God, he hates that.

Theorically, he knows he’s not to blame for what happened to him, he knows Dean is a manipulative bastard and an abuser. Jamal and Ryan set him straight with this shit last year, and he’s better now. Even so, there’s still a voice inside him that tells him it wouldn’t have happened if he wasn’t so weak. If he had stood up to Dean, somehow convince his mum to leave him ten years ago… Wait, Daisy wouldn’t be here. Most days, she’s the only person who can make him smile, he simply can’t wish her gone, even if it meant Dean wouldn’t have impacted their lives so much.

He sets a kiss on upon her hair, inhaling the clean scent of the baby-shampoo that lingers after the little bath he drew up for her. Anything to distract him from what’s going on downstairs. She’s in her day clothes now, the yellow overall he bought for her birthday, the front all chewed-up from her absent-minded nimbling as they watch Peppa Pig on his phone.

If they go through with Michelle’s wish to get revenge on Dean, Daisy’s going to grow up without her dad. He knows his mum won’t be satisfied by anything less than prison for life, now that she has the means to mae Dean pay.

Unlike Eggsy though, Daisy will grow up without the constant belittling and shaming Dean has to offer. She will grow up with Eggsy in her life, and he’s going to make sure she feels loved and deserving of it every single day. He must have squeezed her without thinking because she turns up her head at him and shows her tiny white teeth in a big grin. Yeah, he’s gonna cherish the hell out of her squishy face. Starting now, he decides, and starts counting her toes and fingers with exaggerated care.

« …eight… nine… ten… Yes ! Daisy, you officially have all of your toes and fingers ! You’re the best ! » Her laugh when he blows a raspberry on her tummy is music to his ears, soothing his soul.

It might be safe to go back downstairs, thinks Eggsy. By now, Harry surely _knows_ , and even though Eggsy literally ran from the conversation he feels more grounded after spending time with Daisy. He’s ready to do whatever it takes to take Dean down, even if it means dealing with Harry knowing about his past. He’s facing the music, he’s ready.He just has to finish this Peppa Pig episode with Daisy, then he’s good to go.

 

A knock on the door frame wakes Eggsy up. For a second he doesn’t know where he is and stays very still, like the years of trying to be as invisible as possible trained him to do. The soft weight of Daisy tucked in his arms reassures him and brings him back to the present. He’s at Harry’s house, he fell asleep with Daisy while Harry and his mum talked about- about Dean. Okay. He feels like a ten-years-old hiding from his parents.

« Hullo, » says someone. He turns to look at the stranger : a woman about his age, very pretty and wearing a friendly smile. « I’m Roxanne, but call me Roxy. I’m Harry’s niece. »

She’s holding her hand up for a handshake and he tries to get up without disrupting Daisy, but the woman steps into the room and sits at the edge of the bed.

« Eggsy, » he says, a bit dumbfounded. He shakes her hand and okay, she has an iron grip for someone so small. He tries to hide his wince. Her smirk shows she isn’t fooled.

« I know, Harry told me. And this must be little Daisy. She’s really cute. Will we wake her if we talk here ? »

« Nah, she’s out cold, nothing will wake her, » he shrugs.

« Okay, good. Relax. » Roxy motions to the bed, and the thing about Eggsy is that he’s not usually the type to follow orders blindly, but.

« Good, » she approves. Before Harry, Eggsy had only ever seen people in movies sit like Roxy does, all proper posture like the queen of fucking Genovia. It’s a lot of posh to take in.

« Um, did Harry call you ? » Eggsy asks. 

« No, he didn’t, but I come by every now and then. » Her smile makes him feel like a baby antelope seconds before the lionness pounces.  « I’m so surprised he has guests over, he’s usually very picky about who he lets in his home. »

«Uh, there’s, uh- a situation with my mum, actually, I’m not sure if I should - »

« Oh, is this a debt situation ? Did Harry fuck up monumentally years ago and now he owes your family a life-debt that you came to collect ? » It’s kind of creepy that this is the first thing she thought about. Is this something that happens all the time to Harry ?

« Is this something that happens all the time to Harry ? » Eggsy asks, because this is a thing he can’t just leave alone now, he has to know.

« It’s a once-in-a-decade sort of things in the family, I think, » says Roxy. « I think it’s the first one for Harry, though. But Uncle Gawain owes, like, five life-debts by now. »

« Is your Uncle Gawain working with Harry then ? »

« Well, yes, they are both Kingsman agents. Knights, actually. When the next knight retires I’m going to ace the trials and become the first female knight, it’s gonna be aces. » Eggsy believes her. She doesn’t seem the type to boast pretentiously, and there’s a quiet lethality about her that makes him see how she’s related to Harry.

 « So, » Roxy says, back on track and friendly smile turned up to eleven, « what will Harry have to do for you ? »

«Er – take revenge on my step-father for abusing us since I was ten ? » Eggsy smiles uncertainly.

« Alright. Can I help ? »


	3. Chapter 3

To Eggsy’s dismay, Michelle and Roxy take to each other immediately.

To Eggsy’s relief, they focus are more focused on each other than on him. In the hour they’ve known each other, they already agreed on what a horror show Eggsy’s style is, what a horror show Harry’s fridge is, and what a horror show the whole of Dean is. It’s like Roxy is Michelle’s long lost daughter, there’s a sense of familiarity between them, with significant pauses that the other understands at once and the way they don’t bother to explain anything.  Like now.

« Yeah, it could work, » says Michelle.

Roxy grins. « I know ! It’s basically textbook. »

« What are you talking about ? » Eggsy asks, because it’s been ten minutes and he still hasn’t caught on. Admittedly, he’s not paying a lot of attention. He’s busy trying not to screw up the cheese and mushrooms omelette they’re going to have for lunch whenever Harry returns.

Michelle looks at him a little guiltily. Did she forgot he was here ?

« Roxy’s going to pretend to be Dean’s long lost daughter, » grins Michelle.

« I’m going to make him trust me, and I’ll plant bugs everywhere he goes. We’ll have eyes and ears on him all the time. »

« That’s great and all but how the hell will you make him believe you’re his daughter ? » asks Eggsy.

« You mean he won’t want to believe I am ? » Roxy pouts, eyes gleaming with mischief.

« Look at her, Eggsy, » says Michelle, and fuck, his mum hasn’t smiled like that in ages.

« I’ll say I look just like my mother, » says Roxy. Her eyelashes bat rapidly and she widens her eyes, all pretty and innocent-looking. And yeah, it could work. Dean’s the sort to believe he can have any woman he wants, and implying he slept with someone that looks like Roxy is going to nicely strike his ego and make him want to believe.

« And, » Michelle’s grin is even bigger now, « before he was more into selling, he was really into trying everything he could get his hands on. His memories of his twenties are fucked up. »

« Then he won’t remember if he actually ever met someone like your mum, » says Eggsy.

« Exactly. » Roxy wiggles her eyebrows. Turning to Michelle, she gets back to the conversation they were having. « So we already know that he wants to feel powerful over people. Now, what is he afraid of ? »

« Easy, » says Michelle. « Losing his power. Being beaten by someone he sees as weaker than him. Being caught by the police. And he was raised by his granny and she believes in ghosts, if that helps.»

« Okay, here’s an idea, » says Roxy. She’s back into posh-mode, all proper-like, but Eggsy gets the feeling it’s because she doesn’t want to seem too giddy in a time like this. « Tell me if you don’t like it. I’ll play his daughter for a while, get his confidence. With the bugs we’ll plant on him and everywhere he goes, we are going to drive him crazy and paranoid. He’s going to think he hears voices at night. We’ll fuck with his phone. I’m going to get some friends to stare at him from across the streets and disappear when he gets close. But I’ll be there for him, I’ll make him trust me. And when I have him under my thumb, I’ll tell him it’s all your fault, Michelle. »

« Come again ? » Eggsy exclaims.

« Now’s the good part, shush. Then, Michelle will go back to the flat to get her stuff, and he’s going to try to kill her. Don’t worry, I’ll be there to protect her, but it will all be recorded and delivered to the police. »

There’s silence for a while. Roxy seems satisfied, Michelle awestruck and Eggsy feels dumbstruck. Then the three of them turn to the door like one man when Harry speaks, black briefcase in hand, back from wherever he went.

« A bit over-the-top, Roxy, but that’s your young blood talking. Efficient, though, with a bit of trimming, » he adds with a smirk. Michelle laughs, and Eggsy takes Harry in, realizes he’s staring and turns back to wherever the plates are before someone notices.

« Sounds fun, » says Michelle. « Can I call him every two hours and just breathe very loudly ? »

« Oh my god, yes. » Roxy grins, delighted.

 

Harry is quite satisfied with his little morning errand. The minute Roxy showed up, he knew she knew about the Unwins, and he knew she was there to get involved. So he made a trip to the tailorshop and got all the basics in three sets plus a little something for Eggsy.

He leaves his briefcase on the living-room’s table, makes a detour to wash his hands then goes back into the kitchen where Roxy and Michelle are still deep in conversation about all the ways to make Dean’s life hell. He catches Eggsy’s eye, and the young man shakes his head.

« It’s over for us, we can only obey them now, » Eggsy says.

« Sometimes it’s better for all involved to let the women take charge, » replies Harry. They nod gravely at each other before smirking in concert, unaware of the looks the aforementioned women are giving them.

« I’m going to get Daisy, » Eggsy says before leaving the room with a final smile for Harry.

Harry watches Eggsy depart and doesn’t notice the silence that falls in the kitchen until it’s too late. He turns towards the women. Sure enough, they are watching him, silent as birds of prey about to launch themselves on an unsuspecting rodent.

« Roxy, » he warns as he gets a glass of water to buy time.

« I said nothing ! » Her face is a perfect picture of wide-eyed innocence. He’s taught her too well, and now it’s coming to bite him in the ass.

Michelle quirks her eyebrow at him. « You’re older than his father. »

« I am well aware of that fact, thank you. » God, he’s been a trained Kingsman agent for more than twenty-five years. He’s been tortured for ten days straight in Sarajevo only two years ago. He once defused a bomb in the Concorde while facing down a very angry Japanese spy. He can face Michelle Unwin.

« As long as you keep it in mind, » says Michelle. Roxy is trying so hard to keep a straight face she’s going to hurt her cheeks. A small vindicative part of Harry thinks she deserves it.

« Don’t fuck with my kid, Hart, » continues Michelle.

« Don’t fuck him at all, Harry, » adds Roxy. Harry nearly drops his glass at that, and Roxy and Michelle fist-bump slowly without even looking at each other.

His phone buzzes in his pocket. He already knows who it’s going to be, and he knows better than to ignore it.

**3 bottles of macallan rare cask and i’ll erase the footage**

**1 and i don’t blow up anything on my next mission** , he types back.

**2 and u don’t blow up anything for the next three missions**

**Deal**

When Eggsy comes back with Daisy, the table is set and lunch served. Harry tries to avoid his gaze but gets kicked in the shin, so he resigns himself to a lifetime of mockery from Merlin and smiles at Eggsy.

 

 

« Ooooh, » says a voice behind Harry. « Are those spy gadgets ? »

« Yes, Eggsy, I suppose you can call them that. »

« You’ll see, it’s very cool, » says Roxy. Eggsy takes his seat next to Michelle on the sofa, brushing past Harry on the way with a hand on his elbow. Roxy smirks at Harry. He pretends to ignore her and focuses on the briefcase in front of him. Roxy’s standing at his side, ready to demonstrate the uses of the equipment he brought.

« We’re ready, » says Michelle. « What’s this for ? » she asks, nodding to the little bundle of tiny black round shapes, barely two millimeters high and one centimeter wide.

« These are the bugs we’re going to place everywhere. They can detect sounds at a ten meters range, and can be programmed to recognize up to fifteen different voices. They are our ears and also our mouths shall the need arise, » Roxy ends with a flourish.

« We also have micro-cameras with better pixels than the latest IPhone, » adds Harry while presenting one of them.

« And the tablets ! Mundane technology has caught up with those but we have an app that launches missiles, so we still win. »

« Remind me to have a word with Percival later, » says Harry. « That’s not a real one, you know you can’t believe everything he tells you. »

« Well, Uncle Percy said that to make anything happen, you have to talk about it enough times to annoy Merlin into making it, » counters Roxy, grinning. « That’s how he got the electric signet ring. »

Harry smiles appreciatively at her, humming. « That’s good to know. »

« Can we get electric rings too ? » asks Eggsy.

« No, love, it’s knight only, » says Roxy, apologetic. Eggsy shrugs. « Worth a try. »

Michelle steers them back to the demonstration. « Alright, what is this other stuff ? »

« This one is a micro-3D-projector, always useful, » says Harry.

« Now let me present you the Kingsman phone, with built-in viruses and all sorts of nasty stuff to strip someone’s identity, for instance. 5G everywhere in the world, » Roxy preens as if she made it herself with her bare hands.

« Don’t you have stuff that blows up ? » says Eggsy.

« Ah, my dear boy, I am not allowed to let civilians use them. This is just basic equipment, I’m afraid. Don’t pout, I have something in mind for you. » Don’t look at Michelle and Roxy, just don’t, he thinks and mostly manages to obey his own orders.

« Earpieces for the Unwins, and Roxy, you already have one I assume ? » She’s not supposed to, but he knows her by now. Of course she has one  even if she’s not a knight yet. Percival complained about not finding his spare one months ago, and Harry remembers vividly Merlin telling him off for « disdainful use of company property » and « generally being a nuisance for the tech department ». He might have it recorded, and he might watch it whenever he’s hurt in his pride for being told off for blowing up a building. It helps enormously.

Roxy grins at Harry as she extracts her earpiece from her pocket. « Do we all get glasses too ? », she asks.

Eggsy looks up at Harry, eyebrows raised. « Glasses, uh ? Let me guess, there’s a tech wizard that can see everything we do through them ? »

Eggsy and Roxy have the exact same shit-eating grin. Michelle is visibly amused, and even Daisy has picked up on the general mood and is blowing spit bubbles at him. That’s it, he’s done for. He knew it was a bad idea to let Roxy and Eggsy meet. They’ve teamed up against him, and he can tell this is only the beginning of a unbreakable bond between the two young people. He’s very tempted to go on early retirement and use that life-time voucher for the little bed-and-breakfast in Martinique.

Flash-backs of the night before come to him. The **i hate you** in Morse. The fucking cream that doesn’t work on faces. What is the extent of the damage here ? Michelle takes pity on him and ends his misery, bless her soul, while Roxy cackles.

« Roxy told us about Merlin while you were away, » Michelle says, « but she didn’t go into that many details, relax. » Ha, she’s a funny one. Knowing Roxy, she told them about the years woth of blackmail from Harry’s youth. And well, he knew that would happen, didn’t he, deep down, when he allowed the Unwins to enter his home ? He counts to ten in Japanese while breathing deeply and visualizing Merlin with hair. He’s got a picture somewhere, he thinks, and it calms him down better than counting in whatever language he can.

« I guess we can actually get to the introductions, then ? » smirks Harry with a quick glance at Eggsy. He opens a latch at the back of the briefcase on gets three pairs of black-rimmed Kingsman glasses. They are not hooked on the main Kingsman servers, only on one of Harry’s private ones, but this will be good enough for what they’re going to do. Roxy definitely hasn’t already got a pair though, they are much closely monitored than the earpieces. She takes one with mock-reverence, and Eggsy elbows her.

« This is the good shit, then ? » Eggsy says, and Roxy hands Michelle a pair. « The best shit, » she says.

Eggsy takes the pair Harry hands him and puts them on. It transforms his whole face, the black ridges stark against his pale skin and complementing the bruises on his cheekbones and jaw. With his delighted smile, the bruises and the glasses he looks like a knight back from a very successful mission.

Roxy pointedly caughs. « Let’s put on the earpieces too, I’m dying to see Merlin meet everyone properly. »

The two Unwins diligently put on their earpiece. Harry taps the right-hand corner of his glasses to allow Merlin back in his feed and smiles when Eggsy catches on and does the same. Smart boy. Michelle and Roxy tap their glasses as well and Michelle jumps back in surprise when the greenish hologram version of Merlin appears in the armchair next to her.

She lowers her glasses then puts them back up again. « This is tricky as hell, » she whispers.

« Hello, Mrs Unwin, » says Merlin with a nod towards Michelle. « It’s very nice to meet you, even under these circumstances, » he adds with a hint of a friendly smile.

« Nice to meet you too, Merlin, » says Michelle.

« Gary –» starts Merlin, but is interrupted. « Nope, Eggsy, please, » says Eggsy and Merlin nods again.

Merlin greets Roxy and Harry with another stiff nod. He’s starting to look like a bobble-head, thinks Eggsy.

« You’re not at all like I pictured, » says Michelle.

« Don’t say it’s the hair, » whispers Roxy.

« I think he heard you, » Eggsy whispers back.

Merlin glares at Harry likes it’s somehow his fault. And, well, there are definitely upsides to the Eggsy-and-Roxy team after all. Harry smiles the innocent smile he knows drives Merlin crazy.

« I ordered the Macallan, Merlin, » he says, and Merlin looks like a disappointed parent. « I know you didn’t, so that’ll be another bottle for lying. »

Merlin’s image distorts for a second as a pillow passes trough him. Harry has to bite his cheeks to keep from laughing out loud at Eggsy’s self-satisfied smirk and Merlin’s outraged expression. Roxy doesn’t bother to hide her laughter, and Michelle smacks Eggsy behind the ear. « Eggsy ! »

« What ? I had to try ! »

 

« It takes a bit of training to jump through the feeds with only eye motions, so for now you’ll stick to the tablets. »

« Gotcha, » says Eggsy. He already has five different video feeds : three from the bugs Harry placed at the Black Prince and the two from the glasses he and Roxy are wearing. Michelle has the same feeds on her tablet, and they practice alternating between the different ones while keeping all of them in display at once. Merlin’s way of teaching them how to use his software is to basically tell them which app to open and the result he’s expecting. The tablet is mostly really intuitive and so far it’s going smoothly. Michelle has the feed from Roxy’s glasses on the center of her screen, and Eggsy has Harry’s feed when Merlin speaks up again. It’s uncanny how his voice seems to really come from the hologram.

« Alright, now go to the WeHearEverything app and pick up Roxy’s audio. She’s about to knock on your door, Michelle. »

Eggsy pulls up Roxy’s audio feed easily enough, but his mum is miles ahead of him. She is turning on the big TV screen on the wall, and Merlin makes an approving noise. « Go ahead, » he says, and Michelle drags something on her tablet and suddenly the TV is showing what Roxy is seeing, audio clear and crisp through the speakers.

« I am never downloading an app for you ever again, » mutters Eggsy.

Michelle grins at him before shushing him. On the screen, the door opens to reveal a disheveled Dean, hair and clothes messy and dirty. He blinks slowly in the afternoon light, clearly eying Roxy up and down.

« Are you lost, bird ? » Dean smirks.

At Dean’s voice, Daisy looks up from the Moana coloring book she’s spent the last hour on. Eggsy watches, crestfallen, as his sister’s content expression fades into unease and her eyes look for Michelle. She toddles to her mother and Michelle picks her up. « There you are, flower, it’s alright, I’ve got you, » Michelle says. Daisy’s breathing quickens as she tries very hard not to cry because she knows Dean gets angry when she cries.

« Are you Dean Baker ? » Roxy’s voice asks on the screen. Dean nods, suspicion in his eyes.

Eggsy grabs the remote and turns off the TV. « I’ll watch, » he says. « I’ll tell you what’s happening. »

Michelles nods and kisses Daisy’s forehead, grateful. « Thanks, Eggsy. » She hugs Daisy tight and reaches for the coloring book, ready to distract Daisy when she quiets down.

« I think you’re my dad, » says Roxy in Eggsy’s ear.

« I don’t think so, love, but I can be your Daddy if you want, » Dean leers and yeah, Eggsy’s not going to tell that bit to his mum. « I say we cut his balls, » Merlin growls, and it must be only in Eggsy’s feed because Michelle doesn’t react. Eggsy looks pointedly at his thumbs up and Merlin chuckles darkly.

Roxy doesn’t say anything but Eggsy can picture the icy look she’s probably giving Dean right now. Dean keeps his leer on for a full minute, then, seeing that Roxy won’t budge, he deflates a little.

« Can I come in ? » Roxy asks, and god, she has balls of steel. Dean opens the door wider and goes back inside, clearly expecting Roxy to follow him.

She waits there for a second until Eggsy finds the command to speak to Roxy directly. « Just ahead of you is the living-room with the kitchenette, first door on the right is my room, second is the bathroom, the room at the back is mum’s bedroom. » The camera goes down and up once as Roxy nods and enters the flat, leaving the door slightly ajar.

Dean grabs two beers from the fridge and Roxy makes a beeline for the side of the couch that faces the front door. She takes a long moment to look around the living-room : the curtain is still hanging in all its charcoaled glory, and the pot hasn’t moved from where Eggsy let it fall. « Okay, gross, » Roxy mutters for Eggsy’s benefit.

« He’s waiting for me to come back and clean it up, » Eggsy tells her. She snorts quietly enough that Dean doesn’t notice. « Good luck with that, » she whispers.

Dean hands one of the opened bottles to her and she takes it, nodding her head slightly in thanks. He sits on the opposite end of the couch from her.

« Roxy is inside, » Eggsy tells Michelle. She acknowledges him with a nod.

Daisy is quiet now that she understands that Dean isn’t here, and Michelle lets her get back to her coloring book. She grabs her tablet and switches through the feeds, then she snorts. « Harry is talking to Puddle.  He’s put a bug on him, too. »

On Eggsy’s screen, Dean is looking at Roxy like she’s from another planet. She’s on roll.

« And then she told me she was like, always super high in those days, and she doesn’t remember much but she kept a diary and she mentions you like, nine months before I was born, so I figured we could do a DNA test or something ? » Eggsy makes a mental note to ask Roxy if she saw Mamma Mia recently.

« What year was that you said ? »

« I was born in 95.»

Dean keeps silent as he tries to bring forth memories of this year.

«You don’t look nothing like me, »  he finally says.

« I look a lot like my mum. Grandma calls me by her name all the time, » replies Roxy easily. It’s amazing how she keeps the lies going effortlessly.

« Huh. » From Roxy’s point of view, you can see the way Dean’s mind struggles. He downs the rest of his beer then takes the second bottle that Roxy left on the table.

« I know this comes as a bit of a shock, » Roxy says, earnest, « but if I’m right and you’re my dad I’d really like to get to know you. »

« I’m not giving you any money, » replies Dean with a glare. « Is this a scheme for inheritance or something ? »

« No no no, I don’t want your money, I told you. I just want to know who my real father is. »

Dean seems doubtful, and he’s right, thinks Eggsy.  « Alright, Rox, go in for the kill, » says Merlin.

Roxy scoots closer to Dean and takes his hand tentatively. « Dean. Listen to me. I need to know I don’t come from a long line of posh wankers. I want to rub you under my stepfather’s filthy rich nose. I hate him, and although I don’t know a lot about you right now, I can tell you’re better than him. He can’t even have children on his own, he has to get them from other men like you. Is that fair ? »

Dean shakes his head slowly, in a daze.

« That’s right, it’s not fair. Rich people, they take what they want, even your own children, and you don’t even know it. »

Still drinking from Roxy’s beer, Dean nods at her.

«Now that I’ve found you, I’m not leaving you behind. I’m getting you the life you deserve, with me, because I’m your daughter and I want to help my father. »

« You better run along, birdie, I’m not the kind of guy you want to be your father. » 

« I don’t take well to patronizing, you know. Let me be the judge of that. I’ve just found you, I’m not leaving you beind now. We’re family. »

Michelle is shaking her head and pretending not to laugh at Dean’s expression. The guy has never had to handle earnest appreciation before, he’s completely at a loss and is gaping at Roxy.

Eggsy switches to Harry’s feed and sees he’s by Dean’s car, looking left and right to make sure nobody’s watching him. Harry circles the car once then continues walking along the street. Merlin’s hologram hums and Eggsy feels out of the loop, so he pokes around on the differents apps and clicks one that looks like a mini-map inside a wheel. It has a tiny red **1.** While it’s buffering, Eggsy glances at Michelle.

« How’s it going ? » Eggsy asks. Michelle grimaces.

« Well, she asked him about the curtain, he said it’s your fault and he’s not going to touch it until you apologize. »

Merlin smiles coldly. « Textbook bastard. »

Michelle continues. « He’s ranting about the mess you always make and how I never tell you off, even though you’re the smuggest asshole he’s ever seen. »

« Sounds about right, » smirks Eggsy.

« Roxy is playing along so well, it’s amazing, » says Michelle. « You’d think she’s willing to believe anything Dean says. »

« She wanted to be a con-artist when she was younger, » says Merlin. « This is her dream coming true. »

« Eggsy ? » Harry says in Eggsy’s ear. « You might want to check the WheelCity app, » he advises.

Back on his screen, he sees the app has loaded a 3D modelization of Dean’s car. A blue rectangle reading « Start driving » is blinking slowly in the corner.

Eggsy beams. « Really ? This is bonkers, bruv ! »

Harry’s sigh is audible through every earpiece in the room. « Grab the joystick that’s underneath the coffee table, will you ? It will connect automatically once you turn it on. »

Eggsy is practically vibrating in his seat. « Okay, done. Can I… ? »

« I’d be very disappointed if you didn’t. »

« Shit, bruv, this is so fucking cool ! » The screen is divided in three parts. The two upper screens show the view from the front and the rear of the car where Harry placed the micro-cameras, and the lower half of the screen shows a real-time satelite map of the street the car is in.

The joystick vibrates once and a green thumbs up appears on the screen. « How do I turn the car on ? »

« You don’t, » says Merlin. « But once the driver does, you’ll be able to control the car remotely. »

« This is very, very nice, » grins Eggsy.

« I hoped you’d enjoy that particular gadget, » says Harry in his ear, voice suddenly soft. « I’m glad you like it. » Eggsy is suddenly very glad Harry’s not there to witness the blush spreading on his cheeks.

Harry is making his way leisurely in the streets of London, smiling to himself at the joyful tone of Eggsy’s voice. He had read the Unwin file last night before going to bed, both to distract himself for the sight of Eggsy in pajamas and to get more details about his life since Lee died. When he saw the records for reckless driving and participation in illegal car races, he got an idea. It’s been a long time since being proven right has been this satisfying.

A picture of Eggsy appears on his left lense. It must have been taken from Michelle’s glasses because blonde hair makes a curtain on a corner of the photograph. The young man is blushing, eyes resolutely focused on his tablet, and a smile is playing on his lips. Timestamps says this was taken a minute ago.

**what did u say to the boy ??**

He tells Merlin to fuck off with a clear hand signal and saves the picture before it gets automatically deleted.

**u know it will hurt less if u tell me willingly**

Harry deletes both messages and starts his walk back home.

Michelle and Eggsy have taken advantage of Daisy’s falling asleep to put Roxy’s feed back on the TV, volume just on their earpieces not to wake her up.

Roxy is holding her Kingsman phone and entering Dean’s number in. She managed to make Dean believe her story, then. As she fakes having trouble to add him on her contact list, she taps the app to send him a worm that will take control of his phone. The screen blinks red.

Merlin reacts first. « His Bluetooth isn’t turned on, Roxy. »

« Oh !, » Roxy exclaims. « Can I take a picture with you ? It’ll show up when you call me, » she adds and you can tell by her voice she’s using her winning smile. Deans shrugs and she goes to sit by his side. She takes the selfie then messes with the filters before showing Dean the results.

« Look, I’ve got a tiara ! And you have a birthday hat, it’s perfect, don’t you think ? »

By the look on Dean’s face, he’d rather drown in the Thames than agree.

« Don’t you want it to remember me by ? You can set it as my caller ID too, that way it’ll show when I call you ! We’ll have the same picture ! »

« You might want to tone it down a notch, Rox, » says Eggsy.

Dean blinks slowly, the way he always does when he’s high and trying to think, then hands his phone to Roxy. She sends the selfie, the worm, and sets the selfie as both her caller ID and his homescreen.

« Can I use the bathroom before I go ? » Roxy asks. Dean nods. « Of course, daughter. »

« Great. »

Dean looks at her.

« Sooo, where is it ? » she asks.

Dean points to the bathroom door. « Thanks. »

In the bathroom, Roxy places a bug above the door where it can pick up audio from all the flat.

« He seems to take this way too easily, Roxy, » says Eggsy. She makes a face at him in the mirror, then grins. « The little something I put in the beer certainly helps with the convincing, » she smirks.

« Nevermind, go on then, » replies Eggsy.

She waits two minutes by making faces in the mirror until Eggsy runs out of expressions to make her try, then she goes to flush the toilet. There’s a big piece of shit floating there. « Oh my god, gross ! » she gags. « Well, shit, » says Eggsy. « Shut up. » She can tell he’s proud of himself for the lame joke. What a ten-year-old. She flushes the toilet and washes her hand thoroughly.

Dean is asleep, head lolling on his shoulder, when Roxy exits the bathroom. She places two cameras in the living-room, one in the bedroom and one above the front door.

« Can you put one on his jacket ? » asks Michelle. Roxy does before leaving.

« Ladies and gentlemen, part one is complete, » announces Merlin. « Good job, Roxy, » he adds.

« Thanks, Merlin, » Roxy says. « I’m on my way back. »


End file.
